How to launder linen

Dear Heloise: Hints, please, on how to wear LINEN. The wrinkles are terrible! Any great ideas to keep it looking fresh? -- Amy W., via email

Hi, Amy! Natural fibers in linen make it a cooler, more-breathable alternative to man-made fibers, but the wrinkles can be a problem.

The Drycleaning and Laundry Institute (www.dlionline.org) recommends laundering linen in warm water on the gentle cycle. Line-dry thoroughly on a rack or hanger. Ironing before wearing may help with the wrinkles, but it won't eliminate them.

Linen is a great option for late-summer wear, because it's breezy, absorbent and light, but with this fabric, resign yourself to some wrinkling. It speaks to the character of the fabric.

Professional dry-cleaning may help also. Talk with your cleaner. -- Heloise

P.S. Linen is a natural fiber so strong that our paper currency is 25 percent linen!

FAUCET FIX

Dear Heloise: To avoid germs, after washing my hands in a public restroom, I use a paper towel to turn off the faucet. -- Nancy T., Hagerstown, Md.

Many public faucets have a motion-detector system for the water to come on, for the soap to dispense and for the paper towel to pop out, so you don't have to touch things if you don't want to. -- Heloise

FROZEN SAUCE

Dear Heloise: I like tomato sauce, but I can never finish the big jar. I pour the sauce into a dedicated ice cube tray and freeze. -- Simone P., West Palm Beach, Fla.

GUNKY GASKET

Dear Heloise: By accident, I found that the rubber guard under the garbage disposal is soiled. I wipe under the rubber to clean and sanitize it. -- R.A. in New York

Yes, the rubber sink gasket can get gunky! Here's an easy way to really keep it clean:

Fill the sink with enough water to cover the gasket (which should release easily), and add a couple of drops of liquid dishwashing detergent and a careful but generous glub-glub of chlorine bleach. Soak for 20 minutes. Rinse and reattach. -- Heloise

NIFTY NOODLES

Dear Heloise: When I make boxed mac and cheese, I put more macaroni in it from my pantry to stretch it further, and I also put these nifty noodles in chili or soup to do the same! -- Betty D., Faulkton, S.D.

Heat the raw edge with a match until soft, and set the piece back in the tube gently but firmly, then wait five minutes before rolling it down the tube. Place the tube into the freezer for 10 minutes to seal the repaired parts. -- Heloise

LETTER OF LAUGHTER

Dear Heloise: I keep get-well cards on my mantel so my home doesn't have to be spotless. If people drop over unexpectedly, they'll think I've been too sick to clean. Ha! -- A Reader, via email

Love it! -- Heloise

DID YOU KNOW?

Dear Readers: An acre is 43,560 square feet! -- Heloise

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to 1-210-HELOISE or email it to Heloise(at)Heloise.com. I can't answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.

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